Angels in Cages
by LilyTaphy
Summary: AU Oneshot where demons run the world and angels are kept in cages. While undercover in a laboratory, Dean is shocked to see a familiar stranger amongst the fallen creatures in cages.


This is my first story for the Supernatural fandom. It's based on a dream I had during the last hiatus. I don't have a beta or anything, so if there are any mistakes I'm sorry. No flames please, I'm a fragile creature. Review if you really want to but most of all enjoy!

* * *

The enslavement of angels has become quite common in the past few decades since they were forcefully removed from Heaven when the most recent King of Hell teamed up with a bitter angel. Heaven was securely shut down and every angel was either slaughtered in their confusion or enslaved when they fell to the earth's surface. There were not enough Hunters in the world that could handle the uprising of demons and wrathful fallen angels, so humans were roughly thrust into the supernatural world that they never knew existed.

The world crumbled to bits as the demons seized control. Angels were taken away to be experimented on, humans abandoned to fend for themselves governments overthrown and replaced with demonic leaders. Schools, hospitals and churches bombed and desecrated. Cities are dingy and dangerous. Crime rates have gone up and the quality of living went down. The ethics of people have reached an ultimate low as they are forced to become thieves and even murderers to provide for their families or even survive themselves.

Humans were to live "side by side" with the demons, but in reality most were treated as second class citizens. Certain humans had special privileges depending on how useful they could be. Doctors, scientists and the like were used like puppets by demons for their own personal gain. These 'special' humans were given bright red wristbands to signify that they were not to be harmed under the penalty of death (demons do not like to share their humans nor do they like their property damaged).

Hunters were forced into hiding or an "early retirement"meaning instant death. There are few brave Hunters left in the world, desperately trying to right the wrongs caused by the two wicked souls that drove the world into peril.

Two of which are the legendary Winchesters.

One would think that every demon had the faces of the Winchesters burned into their brains, what with all of the trouble they had caused, and still cause, for the King of Hell. But with all of the demons that were let loose from Hell, there was bound to be a few stupid ones thrown into the mix. Thus, the Winchesters could continue Hunting down creatures that went bump in the night, just as long as they were careful.

Perhaps going undercover as security inspectors to a massive laboratory/prison for angels ran by hundreds of demons isn't what one would call "careful".

* * *

"Who did you say you were again?" A small, pudgy man asks as he looks up from his desk.

Dressed up in cheap suits, Dean and Sam Winchester stand with confidence and flash the man their (fake) badges. Having gone through the same motion hundreds of times, the lies come out smoothly and easily as if it were second nature.

"Jim Crespo and Richard Dufay with C.A.G.E. Security. We're here to check for any problems about the containment of the Angelic kind." Dean supplies as he and Sam pocket their badges.

"I wasn't aware we were having an inspection," the pudgy man drawls as he scratches his head absently. The few hairs left on his balding head stick out in different directions.

"No offense, but I think that's above your pay grade," Dean says. The man huffs, squaring his jaw as Dean went on,"But if you want to call and confirm of our appointment with the head of security it would be no problem for us."

Dean takes out his cell phone and holds it out for the demon to take, his red wristband clearly visible. The man blinks his eyes, shrouding them completely black. The surreal cobalt colored eyes flick from the wristband to the Dean's smiling face and back again. With growing trepidation the demon reaches for the phone as Dean continues,

"But between you and me the boss gets a little grumpy when we can't get our jobs done. The last time someone called him, all the King's horses and all the King's men pretty much ripped off the guys head."

Blink. The demon's eyes flash back to their original gray hue and his face drains of color. He snaps his hand back, backing up a couple of feet.

"I don't think it's a problem. Just hold on. I'll get one of the doctors to give you a quick tour."

The little man turns and all but runs down one of the hallways. The elder Winchester leans against the desk and watches the man turn a corner, slipping and quickly regaining his footing before darting away to an unknown destination. Dean snaps his wristband, thinking back to the witches they ganked the day he and Sam acquired their, what Dean liked to call, "Get Out Of Jail Cards". It was a lucky break for them and for once something positive came out of a hunt other than the fact that there were fewer monsters in the world thanks to them. Dean turns towards Sam with a smug grin, which he promptly drops at the sight of a powerful bitch face. The older hunter raises an eyebrow and shrugs.

"What?"

"What do you mean, 'what'? We can't make such an impression here. We're supposed to blend in as much as possible otherwise we'll get caught. I don't know about you, but I kinda like the thought of living."

Sam crosses his arms as if he was an angry parent, his own wristband slightly visible under his suit cuffs. Dean scoffs and rolls his eyes.

"Well, it worked didn't it? If he was all suspicious then he most likely would've called _his_ boss up and _then_ we would be screwed. Relax, Sammy. I got this."

Before Sam can say anything else on the matter, they hear footsteps and Dean stands straight again. The brothers turn to greet the new man (human by the looks of the wristband) while the sad excuse of a demon from before scampers back to his desk, his eyes never leaving the undercover hunters.

"Hello, I'm Doctor Atchoo," he says whilst shaking hands with the two. Dean smirks a bit and leans towards the doctor.

"Gesundheit."

An awkward silence falls among the group. Sam closes his eyes for a moment before turning towards his brother. The doctor sighs and runs a hand through his graying hair. The pudgy demon from before snorts, apparently over his initial anxiousness. Dean catches on quickly and tries to apologize.

"No, it's okay. I get that a lot. Med school was unbearable as you can imagine," the doctor says as he rubs his forehead with one hand. Dean glances over to Sam and, yep. Bitch face is activated once more. There is another awkward moment of silence before the unfortunately named doctor speaks again, "So, you two wanted a tour?"

Sam and Dean nod, glad to be rid of the tense silence. Doctor Atchoo begins walking down the hallway and gestures the two brothers to follow.

"Come along, gentlemen."

Sam smacks Dean on the back of the head as they follow the doctor down the white hallway (once out of sight from the pudgy demon, that is). Dean hisses and smacks Sam back as hard as he can without bringing attention to them. A brief glare off commences. They may be professionals, but they are brothers above all else. The heavy footsteps echo around them and the repugnant smell of sulfur wafts all around them.

"Um, do you two have any questions or...?" The doctor asks over his shoulder. Sam looks away first, causing Dean to smile. Pride bubbles in his chest over his small victory.

"What is it that you do here?" Dean asks.

"I am one of many doctors that this place hires to run experiments and testing among the angels to enhance the lives of every citizen in this great country," the doctor answers.

"What kind of tests?" Sam asks as they round a corner. Two other doctors pass by them, heads down and rushing past the two men in suits without any acknowledgment. They remind brothers of abused dogs with their tails between their legs in constant fear for their well-being, which they probably are.

"Any kind of tests that my boss wants preformed." Dean and Sam share a look.

"Are they at least humane?" Sam asks.

"Whether they are considered humane or not is not my issue," Doctor Atchoo says with yet another tired sigh.

"You don't feel guilty or anything?" Sam asks.

Doctor Atchoo halts and faces the brothers.

"Look, it's my job. How I feel about it is of no consequence. I'm not about to file a complaint against what I do here just because I _feel_ bad. Nothing good will come of it," he says. The distressed doctor glances behind his shoulder and then behind the brothers, taking note of the empty hallway. "Look. I have kids. I can't afford to ask questions or cause any problems for them. I really don't want to talk about this, okay?" The brothers nod and after another tense moment, they begin walking again. Sam and Dean ask various questions and the doctor answers them as best as he can.

"_How many cameras are there along this area?"_

"_Are tests going on 24/7?"_

"_How many guards are there here at night?"_

"_Are there emergency exists nearby?"_

The trio continue their way down hallways and through various doors around the building until they come across a massive industrial door between two guards (completely still, reeking of sulphur; clearly demons).

"Right through here is where the, eh, specimens are held," said Doctor Atchoo. He gestures for them to follow him. The guards don't even spare a glance at them as they pass through. The large area on the other side of the doors was drastically different from the generic hospital-like building they saw so far. The place is built like a mixture of a filthy animal shelter and a bomb shelter with heavy-duty locks. The dark halls are lined with large cages that hold one angel each on either side, stretching down quite a ways. The angels are dressed in different colors of hospital pants and shirts, no shoes and... Are those collars? What the Winchester boys really got a shock from was the sight of the different (visible) wings that protruded from the backs of each angel.

"Don't worry about them. They can't get you. See those collars? They harness the angels' grace and leave them almost powerless," The doctor says, misunderstanding the hunter's horrified silence for anxiousness over their own safety.

"Their wings," Sam sputters, "How is it even possible that we can see their wings?"

"The collars manifest their grace into a physical force that just so happen to atomize as their wings. Otherwise they would be able to use their grace to teleport or whatever else they'd want to do."

Doctor Atchoo walks ahead a little ways, the brothers slowly trailing behind, eyes roaming over each of the subdued angels within their God-forsaken cages. It's strange to see the angels completely restrained and treated like mental patients or even animals. Each cell has a small cot to rest on, no toilet or other kind of housing tidbit.

"Do they have to eat or sleep because of the lack of angle juice?" Dean asks the doctor as he eyes a small redhead sitting quietly on her cot. She and Dean hold eye contact for a moment. Her blank, soulless eyes causes a shiver to run down his spine. Apparently each cell also had a small name plate as well. This 'Anna' seems like she could have been a sweet girl, yet the pain of dealing with demons on a regular basis seemed to have toughened her up, or rather deaden her on the inside.

"I'm sure they could, but they don't need to in order to live. They don't get fed much anymore because there have been to many problems with stabbing the guards with forks and whatnot." Anna turns away, disinterested. Sam and Dean share another incredulous look.

Another set of footsteps can be heard approaching the trio. The hunters look past the doctor to see a guard marching in their direction. The guard's eyes flash black at them as he brushes past with a dangerous, ghost of a smirk. The intimidation of humans is a favorite pastime for many of the demons, even though they couldn't harm certain privileged humans, didn't mean that they couldn't have some fun.

They walk a few more feet before a wolf whistle echoes around them. The Winchesters snap their attention to the source of noise. A short, blonde man lounges across his cot, feet propped up against the wall. He winks at Sam with a nod and continues to trail his eyes up and down his body. Said brother falters, eyes wide, as Dean struggles to keep from laughing at the look of disbelief and absolute horror on his little brother's face. Sam feels more uneasy at the flirtation than he did at the subtle threat from the demon guard just a moment ago. It seems as though the doctor didn't hear the commotion, or rather he just ignored it.

Sam blushes and starts walking faster, away from this -quick glance at the name plate- 'Gabriel'. Dean's teasing smile doesn't leave his face until the doctor stops walking and turns towards the boys with a nervous smile.

"Will you two just give me a moment? I have to have a word with my colleague about ..."

"Okay, go on ahead. We'll just take a look around here and check the security over."

Doctor Atchoo nods and rushes down the hall and out the heavy door they came in through. Dean begins to chuckle and Sam whips around to face him.

"It's not funny," the younger Winchester growls, yet another perfect bitch face in place.

"It so is," Dean says with a smile before he continues, "You know, if you make that face any more, it's gonna get stuck."

Dean doesn't think it was possible, but his brother's bitch face intensifies. He holds up his hands in mock surrender at his baby brother as if to show him 'look I mean no harm', but the perma-grin stays on his face a few moments longer than it should have.

"Okay, so the doc said that there are a few stray guards roaming around this area because most of them are stationed around the actual labs," Dean says, getting back to business.

"Yeah, and the cameras have fairly low security. I'm sure Charlie can handle _fixing_ them with ease," Sam says. And by that he means that Charlie Bradbury could hack into the camera system easily without getting caught.

Sam and Dean wait a few more minutes before growing bored. Dean begin to inch his way down the hall, glancing at the different angels. The disturbed feeling in his chest constricts as the misplaced guilt sinks in deeper with each empty stare he receives from the once fierce warriors of Heaven. Each angel glares as Dean pass their cage, some hurtful, but most hostile.

'Raphael'

'Uriel'

'Samandriel'

'Naomi'

'Zachariah'

Dean reads each name as he passes, only realizing that he started to hit empty cages when it got darker. He looks up and notices that down a little ways there was a lone angel, far away from the others.

The angel is curled up in the corner, not on the cot provided, but on the cold, hard ground. The tarnished gray and black feathers shields the figure completely from any onlookers. Dean brushes his fingers across the name plate that reads 'Castiel'.

"Castiel," Dean murmurs. The name seems so familiar, like the name of a person from an old dream.

The figure tenses then ever so slowly, unfurls its' wings. Unkempt black hair emerges from behind the wings and a pair of bright blue eyes pierce through Dean's own jade green ones. Another jolt of familiarity tingles throughout the hunter's body. He knows this angel. He can feel it in his stomach, in his heart, in his very soul.

Castiel tilts his head with a flash of _something_ behind his eyes. The angel gracefully gets to his feet and, without breaking eye contact, he steps towards Dean. The angel's white clothes are bedraggled with dirt and grime, obviously neglected from any kind of hygiene. As he approaches, Dean could see the damaged feathers of this familiar angel. They look like someone took a blow torch to them, the burns and broken feathers pathetically hang down from his poor wings. Castiel stops just in front of Dean, once more tilting his head in recognition. The flickering lights give the illusion of a halo around the creature's head. For a moment they stand, staring at each other with the shared feeling of familiarity. Then the angel raises his hand towards the hunter and reaches past the bars.

Then he violently jumps back, crashing into the far wall and a harsh zap registers into Deans mind. Dean jolts back a ways as he tuned in to the world around him again. He doesn't notice when the guard came by and apparently zap Castiel away from the bars with what seemed to be a supercharged cattle prod. Dean glares at the guard as the grotesque being spoke with a vicious tone.

"Careful now, angel. You don't want to do anything you might regret," the demon snarls. Before Dean could snap at him, the demon turns his attention on him, "This one has caused us quite the trouble around here."

"How so?"

"Never quite does what he's told," the demon slurs before stalking down the hall. Dean grits his teeth and curls his hands into a fist, trying to refrain from ganking the demon who was nonchalantly retreating. He takes a tense breath and turns back to the poor angel in the cage. His heart drops at the sight. He is leaning against the far wall as he was before, arms wrapped around his torso and quivering wings shielding him from the world and pain.

"Dean."

He jumps again and turns, startled at the sudden voice of his brother.

"We have to go. The doctor needs to finish up the tour and get back to his job."

Dean nods, feeling numb and Sam leads them down the hall towards the jittery doctor. Dean takes one last look at the angel he feels he knows. He is met with the longing stare of the creature Dean so desperately wants to protect. The angel drops his gaze and curls up even tighter around himself. The only thought that goes through Dean's mind is:

_I will come back for you, Castiel, I promise._


End file.
